In an unambiguous message to the minorities before the forthcoming Assembly polls in November this year, the UPA Government on Monday has appointed former bureaucrat and incumbent Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University Najeeb Jung, as the new lieutenant-Governor of Delhi.
In a related development, former Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul was appointed Governor of Meghalaya replacing Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary. Jung joined the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) in 1973 and worked in different capacities in Madhya Pradesh and with the Government of India.
He subsequently worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (Oxford University) on energy-related issues. He is an expert on governance and energy, having worked with different Governments, the public and private sector in these sectors.
He quit the service after his stint as Joint Secretary (Exploration) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He is currently pursuing his PhD on energy economics from Oxford University.
He is a member of several committees and Special Task Forces set up by the Government of
India dealing with education and governance.
At present, he is the Chairman of a Core Committee of Vice-Chancellors appointed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (India) to examine various aspects of higher education, Chairman of a committee to review
the existing schemes for enhancing participation of minorities in higher education, Member of the Special Task Force set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to suggest developmental options for Jammu, Member of the Senate of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, (IITK) and several other committees at the national level.
Jung did his BA (Hons) and MA in History from St Stephen’s College, Delhi. later he completed his education at london where he did MSc in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from london School of Economics and Political Science, UK. After that he joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1973, and has also served as a Senior Energy Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, as Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, University of Oxford and as Director for Energy Research at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
According to a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, 62-year-old Jung becomes the 20th lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, replacing two-time lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna who had an eventful stint from April 2007.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the names of Jung, former Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul and former MCD Commissioner SP Agarwal were doing the rounds for the top post in Delhi as the l-G had intimated to the political leadership that he should be replaced. According to sources, the file pertaining to appointment of Jung was moved two month ago by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The appointment of Jung as the new l-G of Delhi will give a clear cut message to the minorities across the country ahead of the forthcoming Assembly polls in Delhi.
Earlier, a 1997 batch IPS officer Asif Ibrahim was appointed as Director of Intelligence Bureau and this was the first time an IPS officer of the minority community was given charge of the IB.
According to a political analysts the appointment of Jung as new l-G will help the ruling Congress in the elections. “Jung is considered a hard task master and his temperament and style of functioning will suit Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit,” he said.
Khanna’s second term which started on April 5, 2007, had been marred by various controversies including the scandal surrounding the Commonwealth Games. The CAG had, at the time, said that the Delhi Development Authority, under the chairmanship of the l-G, had failed to address issues raised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests during the construction of the controversial multi-storied Games Village.
Paul takes over as Meghalaya Governor from Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary.
A 1970 batch IPS officer, Paul was also Member of Union Public Service Commission from July 26, 2007. His wife, Amita Paul, is Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Paul, a man credited with unearthing one of the biggest match-fixing scandals in international cricket and nabbing master con man Charles Sobhraj was appointed Delhi Police Commissioner in February 2004. Paul, who had served in the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing, led the police investigation that linked former South African skipper Hansie Cronje to the match-fixing scandal.
An officer of the 1970 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS), Paul was Superintendent of Police when Sobhraj was arrested from a South Delhi hotel for drugging about 60 French students. He has also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the south and central districts, Traffic and later the Crime Branch.